EXCITATION OF FREAK WAVE BY NATURAL OSCILLATIONS OF THE WATER BODY

Author(s):  
P. V. Anakhov

In linear theory the formation of extreme waves their existence is interpreted as a local superposition of surface monochromatic waves. Natural water areas are resonators that have their own set of natural oscillations – standing waves of stable spatial structure and fixed period. In the spectra of waves of many water bodies of World Ocean observed double high waves, this is explained by the tidal-seiche resonance. During a storm, the energy of natural oscillations increases ten times the background energy, during a tsunami it can increase up to three orders of magnitude. Examples of the effects of natural oscillations on the coast are given, and it is reported about the increased probability of the occurrence on the coast freak waves. Additionally, it is noted that natural oscillations in water mass are a normal state for any body of water at any time of its existence. The corresponding indices of the water fluctuations of the water basins are given. The events of extreme waves during the accidents at DniproHES (Zaporizhia) on August 18, 1941, and the Kurenivsky dam (Kyiv) on March 13, 1961, are presented. The excitement of the freak wave can be interpreted as enhancing the natural oscillations of the water basin, represented by standing waves of stable spatial structure, fixed period and high probability of waves in the water body. This does not contradict the linear theory of the resonant formation of abnormally high waves. The purpose of the article is to investigate possible sources of the excitement of freak waves, the results are proposed to be implemented in the development of countermeasures to the destructive process. However, the waves carry out both destructive and creative work. A task is presented, which involves the development of measures to stimulate extreme waves. This will increase electricity generation. Affiliation of dam-break waves to freak waves can be doubtful. However, they formally correspond to the classical condition of double exceeding the significant wave height. Most water basins are integral anthropogenic sites. The variability of both natural and anthropogenic environments forces the overriding of systematization and definition. It is proposed to attribute extreme waves of dam-break waves to freak waves.

1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 146-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Skourup ◽  
N.-E. O. Hansen ◽  
K. K. Andreasen

The area of the Central North Sea is notorious for the occurrence of very high waves in certain wave trains. The short-term distribution of these wave trains includes waves which are far steeper than predicted by the Rayleigh distribution. Such waves are often termed “extreme waves” or “freak waves.” An analysis of the extreme statistical properties of these waves has been made. The analysis is based on more than 12 yr of wave records from the Mærsk Olie og Gas AS operated Gorm Field which is located in the Danish sector of the Central North Sea. From the wave recordings more than 400 freak wave candidates were found. The ratio between the extreme crest height and the significant wave height (20-min value) has been found to be about 1.8, and the ratio between extreme crest height and extreme wave height has been found to be 0.69. The latter ratio is clearly outside the range of Gaussian waves, and it is higher than the maximum value for steep nonlinear long-crested waves, thus indicating that freak waves are not of a permanent form, and probably of short-crested nature. The extreme statistical distribution is represented by a Weibull distribution with an upper bound, where the upper bound is the value for a depth-limited breaking wave. Based on the measured data, a procedure for determining the freak wave crest height with a given return period is proposed. A sensitivity analysis of the extreme value of the crest height is also made.


2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Ducrozet ◽  
F. Bonnefoy ◽  
D. Le Touzé ◽  
P. Ferrant

Abstract. In the present paper we propose a method for studying extreme-wave appearance based on the Higher-Order Spectral (HOS) technique proposed by West et al. (1987) and Dommermuth and Yue (1987). The enhanced HOS model we use is presented and validated on test cases. Investigations of freak-wave events appearing within long-time evolutions of 2-D and 3-D wavefields in open seas are then realized, and the results are discussed. Such events are obtained in our periodic-domain HOS model by using different kinds of configurations: either i) we impose an initial 3-D directional spectrum with the phases adjusted so as to form a focused forced event after a while, or ii) we let 2-D and 3-D wavefields defined by a directional wave spectrum evolve up to the natural appearance of freak waves. Finally, we investigate the influence of directionality on extreme wave events with an original study of the 3-D shape of the detected freak waves.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srinivasan Chandrasekaran ◽  
Koshti Yuvraj

Recent observations of the sea state that result in the undesirable events confirm the presence of extreme waves like freak waves, which is capable of causing irreparable damages to offshore installations and (or) create inoperable conditions to the crew on board. Knowledge on the extreme wave environment and the related wave-structure interaction are required for safer design of deep-water offshore structures. In the current study, typical long crested extreme waves namely:  i) New Year wave at offshore Norway; and ii) Freak wave at North Sea are simulated using the combined wave model. Dynamic response of the Tension Leg Platforms (TLP) under these extreme waves is carried out for different wave approach angles. Based on the analytical studies cared out, it is seen that the TLPs are sensitive to the wave directionality when encountered by such extreme waves; ringing type response is developed in TLPs which could result in tether pull out.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jname.v10i1.14518


2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (33) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Kyungmo Ahn ◽  
Sun-Kyung Kim ◽  
Se-Hyun Cheon

This paper presents the occurrence probability of freak waves based on the analysis of extensive wave data collected during ARSLOE project. It is suggested to use the probability distribution of extreme waves heights as a possible means of defining the freak wave criteria instead of conventional definition which is the wave height greater than the twice of the significant wave height. Analysis of wave data provided such finding as 1) threshold tolerance of 0.2 m is recommended for the discrimination of the false wave height due to noise, 2) no supportive evidence on the linear relationship between the occurrence probability of freak waves and the kurtosis of surface elevation 3) nonlinear wave-wave interactions is not thh primary cause of the generation of freak waves 4) the occurrence of freak waves does not depend on the wave period 5) probability density function of extreme waves can be used to predict the occurrence probability of freak waves. Three different distribution functions of extreme wave height by Rayleigh, Ahn, and Mori were compared for the analysis of freak waves.


Author(s):  
Yan Li ◽  
Xiaoqi Qu ◽  
Liqin Liu ◽  
Peng Xie ◽  
Tianchang Yin ◽  
...  

Abstract Simulations are conducted in time domain to investigate the dynamic response of a spar-type floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) under the freak wave scenarios. Toward this end, a coupled aero-hydro-mooring in-house numerical code is adopted to perform the simulations. The methodology includes a blade-element-momentum (BEM) model for simulating the aerodynamic loads, a nonlinear model for simulating the hydrodynamic loads, a nonlinear restoring model of Spar buoy, and a nonlinear algorithm for simulating the mooring cables. The OC3 Hywind spar-type FOWT is adopted as an example to study the dynamic response under the freak wave conditions, meanwhile the time series of freak waves are generated using the random frequency components selection phase modulation method. The motion of platform, the tension applied on the mooring lines, and the power generation performance are documented in several cases. According to the simulations, it is indicated that when a freak wave acts on the FOWT, the transient motion of the FOWT is induced in all degrees-of-freedom, as well as the produced power decreases rapidly. Furthermore, the impact of freak wave parameters on the motion of FOWT is discussed.


Author(s):  
Hidetaka Houtani ◽  
Takuji Waseda ◽  
Wataru Fujimoto ◽  
Keiji Kiyomatsu ◽  
Katsuji Tanizawa

A method to produce freak waves with arbitrary spectrum in a fully directional wave basin is presented here. This is an extension of Waseda, Houtani and Tanizawa at OMAE 2013[1], which used “HOSM-WG” based on the higher-order spectral method (HOSM). We used the following three methods to improve the HOSM-WG in [1]: “separation of free waves from bound waves,” “using Biesel’s transfer function in wavenumber space” and “using Schaffer’s 2nd-order wave maker control method.” Modulational wave trains, freak waves in unidirectional irregular waves and freak waves in short-crested irregular waves were generated in a wave basin. The experimental results using the improved HOSM-WG were compared to the HOSM simulation, and good agreements were found. The effectiveness of the improved HOSM-WG was ascertained. We showed that the difference between HOSM-WG and HOSM simulations became larger as wave steepness, frequency bandwidth of the spectrum or directional spreading became larger.


2010 ◽  
Vol 650 ◽  
pp. 57-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
ODIN GRAMSTAD ◽  
KARSTEN TRULSEN

The effect of a swell on the statistical distribution of a directional short-wave field is investigated. Starting from Zakharov's spectral formulation, we derive a new modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation appropriate for the nonlinear evolution of a narrow-banded spectrum of short waves influenced by a swell. The swell-modified equation is solved analytically to yield an extended version of the result of Longuet-Higgins & Stewart (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 8, no. 4, 1960, pp. 565–583) for the modulation of a short wave riding on a longer wave. Numerical Monte Carlo simulations of the long-term evolution of a spectrum of short waves in the presence of a monochromatic swell are employed to extract statistical distributions of freak waves among the short waves. We find evidence that a realistic short-crested wind sea can on average experience a small increase in freak wave probability because of a swell provided the swell is not orthogonal to the wind waves. For orthogonal swell and wind waves we find evidence that there is almost no significant change in the probability of freak waves in the wind sea. If the short waves are unrealistically long crested, such that the Benjamin–Feir index serves as indicator for freak waves (Gramstad & Trulsen, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 582, 2007, pp. 463–472), it appears that the swell has much smaller relative influence on the probability of freak waves than in the short-crested case.


Author(s):  
Marios Christou ◽  
Kevin Ewans

This paper concerns the analysis of a very large, quality-controlled dataset of raw wave measurements. It directly follows from paper 1, as part of work undertaken for the CresT (Cooperative Research on Extreme Seas and their impacT) Joint Industry Project (JIP), and describes the various analyses performed on the dataset. In particular numerous freak wave events are observed and various analyses are performed to gain an insight into conditions that are conducive to their formation. The examination of probability distributions, spectral and temporal parameters, degree of focusing and environmental conditions that lead to freak waves is performed and the findings are presented.


2009 ◽  
Vol 637 ◽  
pp. 267-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
KARINA B. HJELMERVIK ◽  
KARSTEN TRULSEN

Linear refraction of waves on inhomogeneous current is known to provoke extreme waves. We investigate the effect of nonlinearity on this phenomenon, with respect to the variation of significant wave height, kurtosis and occurrence of freak waves. Monte Carlo simulations are performed employing a modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation that includes the effects of a prescribed non-potential current. We recommend that freak waves should be defined by a local criterion according to the wave distribution at each location of constant current, not by a global criterion that is either averaged over, or insensitive to, inhomogeneities of the current. Nonlinearity can reduce the modulation of significant wave height. Depending on the configuration of current and waves, the kurtosis and probability of freak waves can either grow or decrease when the wave height increases due to linear refraction. At the centre of an opposing current jet where waves are known to become large, we find that freak waves should be more rare than in the open ocean away from currents. The largest amount of freak waves on an opposing current jet is found at the jet sides where the significant wave height is small.


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